Ask HN: Depressed, need to leave web development, what can I do?

> Why not leverage what you know and build web-based products/services?

Because it's really difficult.

I find I can keep a big-picture, this is what the customer wants mindset, or I can have a detail-oriented this is the code that I want to improve mindset, but having both and/or switching between them is amazingly difficult. As I write the code I lose sight of what 'normal' people (non-programmers) want. I don't even know how to pitch to their level any more, or what isn't obvious to people who haven't spent 20+ years using and thinking about computers every day.

tl;dr: programming changes the way I think in a way that's unhelpful to build a product.

Next there's promotion and marketing... which is another skillset that depending how hard you want to push the product may/may not sit well with your ethics.

Thirdly and this is a personal one, I have an ADD brain and staying focused on one idea long enough to take it to market is very difficult. I have a list of ideas I dreamed up and started work on and never finished that someone else later launched successfully. As does everyone I suspect (execution >> ideas) but it's a neverending pattern (as I look at the 30+ OS projects on the go)

Ha, much much easier said than done. Outside of big american corporates, getting a place in management is a no go 99.9% of the time.

> One option is to go into management (no need to scoff at it, it is hard, offers plenty of opportunity for growth and is exactly the area where older folks can shine

Many many people say this but I think mid/low level managers are also usually young and I don't see the huge value of being old if the tech keeps changing. If anything it might be a bit easier to stay in shape technology wise if you're a developer, not a manager. This might be less of a problem if you go to high level management (director, CTO etc) but that career path is not trivial at all.

I personally can't see a career in a particular programming language. There are so many programing languages out there. Wouldn't it be better to get expert like knowledge in some specific area. For example becoming an expert in distributed systems for the automotive industry. You would then participate in design and implementation of a distributed system. I think this would narrow down the needed knowledge, however life long learning is still needed.

Just on the vacancies and 300+ applicants:

Writing a good and "personalized" cover letter gets me a really decent interview rate I think.

I'd be up to read yours and make suggestions. Just let me know here.

My usual receipt:

- start with a custom paragraph. Why are you a match and why do you like this company.

- 1-2 copy+paste paragraphs about relevant skills (at most a buzzword or two added)

- ending with a curious question to discuss in the possible interview that shows you thinking along and grasped their situation (or at least made the effort). This might be more important for the product roles I aim at though :).

.

For preparation (I do this quickly for the letter, a bit more if I get an interview):

- save the job ad (it's useful for interview prep and might get taken down)

- read any blog that hints at upcoming projects you might be hired for

- try to find out their tech stack, highlight if you have relevant experience (https://www.wappalyzer.com/ makes it easy)

With all that: brace yourself for rejections. It's still a numbers game (and you'll get better with every interview you get). If you happen to find something you can actually get behind it also elevates your chances. People feel that.